Brake adjuster



Sept. 24, 1957 L. BOCEK 2,807,334

BRAKE ADJUSTER Filed April 20, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet l [IL- Igona/zd f lgla Sept. 24, 1957 BOCEK I 2,807,334

' BRAKE ADJUSTER Filed April 20, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 24, 1957 BRAKE ADJUSTER Leonard Bocek, Calumet City, Ill., assignor to American Steel Foundries, Chicago, 111., a corporation of New Jersey Application April 20, 1953, Serial No. 349,899

2 Claims. (Cl. 188-59) The invention relates to adjustable mounting structure for use with railway car brakes and more particularly to a novel adjusting and locking device associated therewith.

My invention comprehends an improved locking arrangement to be associated preferably with a rotor brake and rotor brake mounting arrangement as disclosed in the copending application, Serial No. 300,941, filed July 25, 1952, in the name of William J. Casey, III.

It is a primary object of my invention to provide a novel lock arrangement for a brake position adjuster to insure against accidental change of said adjuster position.

It is another object of my invention to provide a lock arrangement having resilient friction means operable to maintain said lock in any desired position.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a lock arrangement of such physical form and design as to main tain the lock in the adjuster locked position by gravity, in the event of failure or to supplement the action of the above mentioned friction means.

It is still another object of my invention to provide a lock arrangement simple in design, hence more cheaply manufactured than arrangements heretofore utilized in the art. 7

Other novel features of the invention will become apparent in the course of the following description and from an examination of the drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevational arrangement embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the embodiment of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along line 33 of Figure 2, and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view of a different embodiment of my invention taken approximately along line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated and is shown as applied to one quarter of a conventional railway car truck having a frame with spaced side rails 2, interconnected intermediate their ends by transoms 4 and adjacent the ends by the end rails 6. Adjacent the ends of the side rails, the frame is provided with depending pedestal jaws 8, 8 defining the journal openings 10 which receive the journal boxes (not shown) adapted to engage the related ends of the Wheel and axle assembly 12. A friction; disk 14 may be secured to each Wheel by any suitable means, such as studs and nuts (not shown), thereby providing for common rotational movement therewith. Each disk 14 presents friction faces 18, 18 on opposite sides thereof.

A brake package indicated generally at 20 comprises a housing 22 having a pair of brake levers 24, 24, pivotally mounted thereon and projecting outwardly along opposite sides of the friction disk 14. Brake heads 28, 28 are pivotally mounted on the outer ends of the brake levers 24, 24 by means of the bolts 30, 30 and are each provided with a brake shoe 32 for frictional engagement with the related friction surface 18 of the disk 14.

A brake cylinder (not shown) is conventionally mounted within the housing 22 and, as is Well known to those skilled in the art, oflers actuating means for the brake levers 24, 24. A fluid supply means whereby the brake cylinder may be actuated is-provided at 34. A guide plate 36 is secured in abutting engagement against the outer side of each brake head 28 by means of bolt 38 and is formed with a channel-shaped portion 38 to slidably receive a guide flange 40 projecting upwardly from the housing 22.

Each transom 4 is provided with a brake mounting 44 (Figure 3) which may be rigidly secured thereto by any suitable means, such as welding or bolting, in an area in substantial longitudinal alignment with the adjacent friction disk 14. The bracket 44 consists of spaced plates 46 and 48 presenting at the lower ends thereof the aligned coaxial holes 52 and 54, respectively.

The housing 22 presents on opposite sides and centrally thereof the rigid mounting wings or plates 66, 68 and 70. As best seen in Figure 2, the wings 66 and extend rearwardly from opposite sides of the housing and embrace, with substantial clearance, the plates 46 and 48 of the transom. The wing 68 also extends rearwardly from a point centrally on the rear wall of the housing. The wing 68 is received intermeditae the plates 46 and 48 of the bracket 44. A bolt'65 provides pivotal connection between the housing 22 and the frame by its reception within the holes 52 and 54 of the plates 46 and 48 and the holes 67, 69 and 71 of the wings 66, 68 and 70.

As hereinbefore noted, clearance is provided between the interengaging wings of the housing 22 and the plates of the bracket 44 thus accommodating lateral movement between the housing and said transom. Control of this desirable lateral freedom is provided by the spring struc ture, best seen in Figure 3. On each side of the Wing 68, spring means, preferably of equal capacity, are com pressively disposed between the wing 68 and the plates 46 and 48. In the preferred embodiment, the spring means consist of coiled springs diagrammatically illustrated at 78 and 80 and sleeved on the bolt 65. The lateral flexible structure thus described provides a flexible pivotal mounting for the brake package 20 from the frame. As best seen in Figure 1, the outboard wing 66 is of irregular con-J tour and presents the vertically extended arm 82 to which is pivotally connected, as at 84, the adjusting device indicated generally at 86. It should be noted that ample lateral clearance is provided at the pivotal connection 84 between the adjusting device 86 and the arm 82 as seen in Figure 2. The other end of the device 86 is pivoted to the lugs 96 and 98 of the bracket 44. The device 86 comprises a plurality of threadably interengaged members, one of which is provided with a polygonal nut-like head 87 to facilitate adjustment of the device. The adjusting device 86 is operative to change the relative vertical position of the housing, consequently to adjust the position of the brake shoes on the related rotor.

A mechanical lock arrangement indicated generally at 90 is provided for the adjusting device 86. The mechanical lock arrangement consists of a flat locking plate 92 pivotally connected to a bolt 94, said bolt 94 being operative to pivotally connect the upper end of the adjusting device 86 to the spaced lugs 96 and 98 presented by the bracket 44. It will be noted that the mounting plate is positioned outboardly of the lug 98 and immediately adjacent thereto and in the normal position engages one of the flats of the hex adjusting nut 87 of the adjusting device 86. Thus in the position illustrated, the locking plate 92 prevents accidental rotation of the adjusting nut.

Examining the locking plate 92 in detail, it will be seen that it is irregularly formed with an enlarged portion 100 positioned substantially rearwardly of the point of pivot 3 of said locking plate as indicated by the bolt 94. The effect of this enlarged portion is to maintain the center of gravity of said plate 92a fixed distance away from the pivot 94, consequently the plate 92 is maintained by gravity in the adjusting locked position.

In the preferred embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, a spring, preferably a coiled helical spring indicated at 102, is sleeved over the bolt 94 and abuts at one end the plate 92 and at the other end a retaining bolt and nut assembly 104 on the end of said bolt 94. The spring 102 maintains the plate 92 in frictional engagement with the outboard face of the lug 98., The frictional engagement thus maintained, has the effect of holding the plate 92 in any predetermined position. Thus if it is desired to adjust the position of the brake housing 22, the plate 92 may be manually, rotated vertically out of engagement with the adjusting device 86 and the friction effect of the spring 102 will maintain said plate in said out of engagement position and against the natural action of the plate. Alternatively, when the plate 92 is placed in the adjuster engaging position, the spring 102 cooperates with the gravity effect of the plate hereinbefore noted, to maintain said plate in adjuster locked position.

Referringnow to the fragmentary view, Figure 4, which illustrates a slightly modified embodiment of my inven: tion. The locking plate employed in the embodiment of Figure 4 is identical in form and construction with that described in the embodiment of Figures 1 to 3. However, in this embodiment, I have deleted the helical coiled spring 102 and substituted therefor a spring washer 108 positioned in the same manner and functionally operating the same as the spring 102, as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

Thus it will be seen that I have devised a novel locking arrangement for a brake position adjuster, said locking arrangement incorporating resilient friction means to maintain said lock in any desired position, and in addition being so designed that the lock will be maintained in ad justed locked position in the event of failure of the friction means. It will further be appreciated that my lock arrangement is extremely simple in design and construction, being formable out of a single flat plate of stock by any suitable means, such as stamping. I

I claim:

1. In a brake arrangement for a railway car truck hava ing a frame and a rotatable friction member, a brake member pivotally mounted on the frame and engageable 4 with said friction member, an adjustment device operable to vary the relative position between said members, said device comprising a plurality of threadably interengaged elements, one of which is pivotally connected to the brake member and the other of which is pivotally connected to the frame, one of said elements having a nut-like polygonal head to facilitate adjustment of said device, a locking plate pivotally connected to the frame and having a locking portion engageable with one side of the head when the plate is in preset locking position to prevent rotation of the head, and means to maintain said plate in a preset locking position, said plate being pivoted on an axis located above the center of gravity of the plate when the plate is in the preset locking position with the locking portion engaging the head, the structural relationship between the head and the frame, permitting the plate to rotate through an arc of 360 whereby the force of gravity serves to help maintain the plate in the preset locking position.

2. In an adjustment device, members being adjustable, relative to each other, by relative movement therebetween, one of said members having a polygonal nut-like headto facilitate relative movement, and a locking device, said 360 whereby the force of gravity can aid in maintaining.

the plate in its preset locking position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 350,827 Harris Oct. 12, 1886 362,880 Doty May 10, 1887 785,767 Schoelkopf Mar. 28, 1905 929,223 James July 27, 1909 1,342,?) 19 Anderson June 1, 1920 1,397,308 Ziska Nov. 15, 1921 2,648,997 Sawyer Aug. 18, 1953 2,655,226 Tack et al Oct. 13, 1953 

